Immediately, I got a PS notification letting me know I’d found a Very Rare trophy because, apparently, no one else did what I did, and I’m a monster. Not only does Whit fall down, but he finds Casey’s collar, with the implication that he just killed his dog. But of course, I’ve seen the game’s trailers, and I should’ve known: There’s no way that tub ain’t falling to the bowels of the earth. The game tells me I can “Calm Casey down” or “Find another way.” I’m a young dad I can’t risk dying, so I go back up to seek an alternative. ( Super safe.) When I get to Casey, she’s too scared to jump in the tub with me. Other moments are more subtle, and may or may not have a devastating effect.įor example, in the first few moments of the game, I tell the kids I’ll try to save our dog, Casey, and go down in a tub attached to a winch attached to a tree AT THE EDGE OF A MASSIVE SINKHOLE. Sometimes the choices are obvious: Support Sege’s weird art, or tell him it sucks. Where the Heart Leads regularly leans on this butterfly effect (even going so far as to literally call it out) of choices throughout chapters. This moment of virtual intimacy caught me off guard, and I was incredibly moved by this tiny little speech bubble. So, I was surprised when, during one chapter, a side character I chose to go speak with revealed she was Sege’s love interest and told me how much my support had meant to him over the years, that I was one of the only people who ever believed in him, who saw him for who he was and accepted him. Most of our conversations were 1:1, so I didn’t expect any other characters to refer to my choices (as is the norm for games like this). I tried to only be a hard ass when my brother was being dangerously irresponsible. In my play-through, I opted to generally and consistently support Whit’s brother Sege, even when it meant arguing with wife Rene or disapproving parents, Aldwin and Sofia. “My” Whit was a family man, a creative equal but pragmatic counterpart to his spacy brother, the response of one sibling to another to maintain the family peace. The game has a sense of wistfulness to it, and I tried hard to lead Whit on a good life. I found myself coming back to the game over the course of a week, comforted by its dreamy music, decidedly “indie” style art, and emotionally driven storytelling. This game is best enjoyed with your coffee on an early weekend morning. There’s even an auto-play text option to make your viewing experience more laid back. Unlike fellow adventure games Firewatch (nerve-wracking), A Night in the Woods (unsettling), What Remains of Edith Finch(disturbing), or even Life Is Strangeand Life Is Strange 2 (both arguably overtly depressing), Where the Heart Leads strikes a much chiller tone. Leading an Honest Lifeįrom early on, Where the Heart Leads makes it clear it’s not a “scary” game. Sometimes, it was easier for Whit to make a negotiation on a construction project when he could appeal to an old relationship, and other times a situation was more difficult when folks already had preconceived notions about the Andersons. I’ve never lived in a “traditional small town,” but this game felt true to what I imagined one being like-people knowing a little too much about everybody’s business, for better or worse. There’s a long cast of characters who weave in and out of these memory chapters. I genuinely cared about Whit’s brother Sege, the troublemaking free spirit, and his childhood sweetheart Rene, who wants to prove to everyone she’s going to be somebody. The game’s greatest strength lies in its character writing and dialogue. Where the Heart Leads starts slow in those first few minutes, but quickly becomes engaging once you get to relive Whit’s memories. As he spends time alone in the natural catacombs under the earth, he reflects on his life up to this point.Ĭue interactive flashbacks. To no one’s surprise, Whit falls deep into the sinkhole, gets lost, and must try to find his way out of it. At the start of the game, Whit is awakened by a bad storm, and goes out with his kids and wife to rescue the family dog, who has fallen into a sinkhole. Where the Heart Leads, which released on July 13 for PlayStation 4 and 5, puts you in control of protagonist Whit Anderson, the second son of a farming family in the country who is trying to figure out who he is in the world.
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